Is there a July 2011 group?

Cydsong: I am on DD AC 4x (every 2 weeks), then Taxotere w/herceptin 4x every 3 weeks. Had my second treatment of AC this last Friday 7/22. I drink a minimum of 64oz of water the day before, day of and two days after chemo and then whatever fluids sound good. For nausea I get Emend with my Chemo and then automatically take Zofran every 8 hours the morning after chemo and I have had no nausea. The first treatment was horible, but now believe it was because I had the port place the day before and it hurt me bad (some do very well with the port). But so glad I have it. With this 2nd treatment is not to bad yesterday only took a 3 hour nap. But today day 2, a little more sluggish.

I do know that my dose dense is because of my age 42 and my DX grade 3 Her2+. They want to throw everything at me they can. I kinda like the idea of DD so that I don't have to go through this as long.

Good luck and keep us up to date on your status.

J-Bug: I recall you buzzing your hair, but did you end up losing it all? Since your DD AC wanted to see how it went. I'm trying to decide whether to buzz of just scissor cut. Just don't really want those little hairs all over.

The worst SE for me now (more than bald head) is dry mouth. The biotene doesn't last long and my tongue is getting sore from sucking on sugar free candies. It might be better if my mouth tasted ok but everything tastes bitter. It even wakes me up at night because my throat gets very dry and the taste is so bad.

Since I get my second T/C on Thurs. I'm thinking I might be stuck with this yucky mouth until late Sept.

Hi ladies...been MIA for a few days. I had an echo on Friday to check my heart function. It was kind of cool to see my heart beating on the screen. It looked good to me and the tech can't say much, but said the numbers they would look at were in normal range. Beyond that, I have to wait until Monday for final results, but I feel better having done it. I just didn't want to find out down the line that I took a risk with Adriamcyin, you know? And yesterday was my dad's 60th birthday, so I was out all day for that.

Snoopy - I also feel for about a week that my armpits put out a "chemo" smell. It's disgusting! I keep washing them, but I think the only thing that helps is the passage of time. As for Zoladex, I asked my onc about this since I'm ony 28 and we were just starting the process of having kids (now derailed), but he recommended against it for me. I hope it does help you though. What did they say about having more kids? Did they want you to wait a certain amount of time after chemo? Are you having to take Tamoxifen? I was told to wait 5 years, which I simply can't imagine, so I'm going to try to negotiate it to 2 years.

Cathy - Seems like our periods always come at the worst times. I got mine in the hospital after my mastectomy! I was not happy about that. I had one more after that and haven't had one since starting chemo. Guess my ovaries got hit hard quick. Hopefully it's not permanent though.

Misswim - Interesting that Adriamycin can cause sore throats. I had one this last cycle, so I guess that's the root cause. I'm sorry you had to send your son away due to a cold. Hopefully you're both feeling better soon. 

Jamie - Oh no! I hope you are feeling better after a few days of rest. 

Valbee - How much claritin do you take with each Neulasta? I take it for a few days starting the day of my neulasta shot. 

Rabbit - I'm also taking prilosec during treatment weeks to help with the heartburn. Cycle 2 went much better than Cycle 1. 

Cydsong - I am on Dose Dense cycles. I find that I feel lousy for a week and then the 2nd week I start getting better every day. I finally feel good enough and the next round comes. But I think I'd rather do this than every 3 weeks because that would just take longer to complete treatment. I'm already 1/4th of the way done and go for treatment #3 on Tuesday. 

Welcome to the new ladies on this board. We will all get through chemo together.

As for sweets, I know a few of you mentioned this. I find myself craving fruits that are juicy, probably because I need the added water content. Apples for breakfast is my #1 choice during chemo weeks lol! I then drink a glass of Kefir or Chocolate Milk for some protein. I also find that I need to drink a lot of water to stay hydrated throughout.

I'm sorry for all you ladies who have to do radiation on top of the chemo. It's a huge reason why I chose to have a mastectomy with reconstruction, because I could avoid it (they felt my lymph nodes would be negative and that they could get good margins). I do have another surgery about a month after chemo to swap out my expander for my final implant, but it's supposed to be a more minor surgery and I won't be dealing with daily treatments for 6 weeks. I do hear that radiation is much easier than chemo, but I feel for those of you who have go through it. 

kk11 and misswim, I was put on omeprazole 20mg, I was told it was like a stronger prilosec. I had issues a few years ago and had an endoscopy to find out I had mild irritation in the esophagus from acid reflux. I would get some pretty heavy espophogeal spasms, scary and painful. But that all got under control for the most part and I weaned off the meds for it. Then it all started coming back after the first chemo so I got back on it and it's worked pretty well. I take a swig of liquid malox (keep it in the fridge, so much more soothing going down!) when it gets bad but for the most part, the omeprazole has kept it under control. 

sandy115, we have similar diagnoses, I am on FEC as well, the first one knocked me out hours after the infusion, had some heartburn issues, ended up with a slight fever after a week and put on cipro, headaches were pretty bad... . The 2nd dose was easier....more tired than anything, you will get through it, just hydrate and rest when you feel you need it!

Sweets...anyone else thinking it's better to have a little real sugar than artificial sweeteners?  

em--I have finished chemo and radiation.  To you ladies just beginning--it is doable and not as bad as I imagined it would be.  I wish the same for all of you.

Judy

I just wanted to let you know.. I had read about the pain Neulesta caused before I started chemo., therefore, I asked my chemo nurse if there was anything I could do to offset it.... She recommended taking extra strength tylenol the morning of the shot and every 6 hours the day of and 2 days after the shot.. It did help but I did have pain in my neck and shoulders -but it was not that bad.....  I hope this info. will help you

Hi ladies, hope your weekend was good with minimal SEs. I have 2 kids already, a 4.5 yrs girl and a 3ys boy, we were planning on adding one more but was still not sure. My MO advised me to get Zoladex because i was not sure whether i want more kids or not. I will be taking Tamoxifen after Rads for 5 yrs, but she said i could stop at 2ys if i want to have more kids.

The headaches are back:-( so i am going to bed now, Have a blessed week all.

Hugs 

Jamie - been worrying about you. Hope you are feeling better.

J-bug - I can't imagine having guests on top of everything else - even if they are people you want to have around. I had a couple of friends who wanted to visit after I had surgery, but I told them they were going to have to wait. I don't want to worry about a guest right now. Best of luck to you on keeping up with the work.

ewa-swimmer - I hope the mouth dryness improves for you. It has been a lot better for me in the last week. I didn't do anything special - used Biotene a lot and the salt/baking soda rinses some. Dreading that returning after next treatment. Things almost taste normal right now.

So I got my hair shaved off yesterday. It had gotten to the point that so much was coming out I was afraid to try to wash it. I went to my regular stylist. She cleared out the salon for me, so there was plenty of privacy. I had a couple of friends join me. They took photos and we laughed and it made it not seem such a big deal. Then I put on a scarf and we went out for frozen yogurt. :-) 

I just can't face the idea of putting on a wig, for some reason, so am going to go with the scarf thing, I believe. I've been having fun shopping for (and even sewing) some pretty ones. Thanks for the chemobeanies link, missswim - those look really nice!

My next treatment (TC) is Thursday. Mixed feelings. Not looking forward to it, but looking forward to being one step closer to done. Wishing the best for everyone in the coming week.

Ana- I wore my chemobeanie tonite for a few hours to get used to looking at myself without hair, and after an hour or so I kind of forgot about my very quickly thinning hair. Best thing was, never got hot at all, very breathable cotton. The customer service folks were great and very compasionate. The founder is a 9 year Stage 3 BC survivor who is doing just great. Helpful, and very hopeful.

Rabbit- sent the DH for the Maalox tonight-LOL-I am prepared.

Sandy- the fear is the worst. I will tell you that the actual infusion was very, very uneventful. I am not scared of it (#2) this Thursday. I went in less than hydrated for the first one, less than a week after port surgery where I had a horrible reaction to anesthisia...... I was not in good shape. Still, my SE's were the first 3-4 days and I have felt really good ever since. I have been drinking so much water, juice, seltzer since the day of that I think it has made a huge difference. Take ativan right before the infusion too, and know the nurses know just what they are doing. Ask questions, and realize that the chemo, while not fun, has a job to do, and it is doing clean up of any stray cells. Think of it as your weapon..... There are alot of guided meditations available on Itunes for just this reason, I have downloaded a few that I plan to try this week. Good luck, will be sending positive energy.

Hi sandy115,  I can't sleep either... and I see you are worrying about your first chemo so I wanted to chime in and offer you some advise too.  First of all, all of us worried about the first one, not knowing was the worst.  My first chemo was 2 weeks ago.  It really wasn't that bad.  The nurses you encounter will be very experienced and kind to you!  They administer the first infusions really slow to watch for side effects.  For me, it was no big deal.  One bag gave me a metallic taste in my mouth.  It went away when the next bag was started.  It all seems so surreal, but believe me...it is do-able! 

Do you have a port catheter?  I do, and it was pretty easy to go for it.  Some of the ladies here don't have them - but I don't have very good veins so I couldn't imagine chemo without one.  Of course, drink plenty of water.  Then drink some more!!!  Eat a light meal before.  Bring a bag of goodies for comfort.  The nurses will likely give you a chemo cocktail that will relax you and you'll be plenty drowsy during the whole thing, and it'll be over before you know it. 

Best wishes on your chemo day.  Sending positive vibes your way.  You can do it!!!!

pinkpalette

welcome 5kidsMom!  Sure you can join us.  It looks like you've already got plenty accomplished so far with a/c and surgery completed.  Your chemo will be over before you know it. 

I have a port and so far, it is working well for me because I have lousy veins. A little discomfort when I sleep and toss/turn though. Are you receiving herceptin? 

Best wishes and minimal SE's

pinkpalette

I can't believe I forgot to mention this, but I noticed my hair starting to thin. Actually, what I noticed last night was the "Chemo Brazillian" starting to take place. This morning, I noticed more shedding than usual.

One of my colleagues at work left a pink sequined baseball cap on my desk for me this morning. I think that'll be my headwear for shiny occasions.

Hi all.  I am still here.  I am feeling a little better yesterday and today.  It has been a rough week here.  I have been really tired.  My uncle went into cardiac arrest Saturday and is in icu on life support right now.  They put him in a hyperthermic state to try and offset brain damage but there is very little hope that there is any brain activity. Today they will do an EEG and check to see if there is any brain activity before the choice has to be made to pull the life support.  I did go to the hopsital yesterday for a while.  I was nervous about going into a hopsital on day 6 after chemo but my onc told me that I should be okay using sanitzers and already being on antibiotics.  Yesterday seemed to be better for me.  I was just a little clamy and tired not really sick on my stomach.  My mouth feels bad.  Really dry which causes me to gag alot.  I have a horrible gag reflex already.  Also, yesterday morning we found out that my husbands step grandmother had a heart attack and is also in icu at the same hospital as my uncle.  They have said that she is too old and weak to have surgery and things do not look good.  There is just alot going on here.

I have tried to read all of the post but boy do they add up when you are mia, lol.  Will work on that a little more today.  Thanks for all of the concern.

Hope everyone is having a good day today!